Betray The One You're With
by SamanthaSezs
Summary: Nate faces the consequences after accidentally betraying someone. He begs Michael to help him, but will Michael make him suffer as well?
1. So, This Guy Walks Into A Bar

_In a world of six billion people, it only takes a chance meeting with one person to change to your life. How that change affects your life is up to you._

"So let me get this straight, you let your new girlfriend take mom to a spa weekend and you don't know where it was or when they would be back." Michael raises his voice in disbelief.

"It's a girl thing Mike, what would they think if I asked where it was?" Nate goes on the defensive.

Michael sighs. He still can't figure his own brother out.

"When did they say they would be back?" He relents.

"Sunday afternoon/evening. Mom's gonna be fine. She needed to get away. Why are you giving me the third degree."

"You really want me to answer that?" Michael glares at his pacing brother.

"Look Mike, Suzanne is different."

Michael rolls his eyes, so were the couple of dozen before her. "Uh-huh. How long have you known Susan and where did you find her?"

"Suzanne, she doesn't like being called Susan or Susie. We've known each other three months, and I'll arrange for us to get together next week. I promise."

Michael noticed that Nate avoided the question of how they met.

-

-

-

_The element of surprise is the best weapon you have at your disposal. Think ahead and make sure you have an excuse you can use. You'd be surprised at what you can find out in a matter of minutes._

"What's the hurry?" Fi questions Michael as he speeds to his mom's house that Sunday afternoon. Michael wanted to be there when Nate's latest conquest was there.

"Nate's new girlfriend."

"Another one." Fiona grins.

"This one is different? She took mom to a spa weekend and Nate doesn't know where they went or ..." _or what?_ I want to talk to her to find out her intentions."

"You mean interrogate?" Fi smiles. "I can't wait to see this."

Michael didn't bother to answer her.

As Mike and Fi pulled up to the house as a grey Lexus sedan pulls away. Out of habit, Michael looks over at the driver of the car, who was talking on her cellphone with the hands-free speaker in her ear. He didn't realize he was staring at the retreating figure of the car when Fi interrupts him.

_If you think you recognize someone, don't make it to obvious by staring, just look at them like you are flirting._

"Like what you see Michael?" Fi commented jealously.

Michael ignores that remark.

Michael rushes in the front door.

"Mom? Mom is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. We had such a good time. Suzanne is a dear."

"Where is your guest?"

"Oh you just missed her, she has a work issue to take care of.." Maddy beams. "We had the most wonderful time. I was puffed and pampered and pedicured. Nate sure knows how to pick 'em."

"Yea he does. So tell me about her."

"What's there to tell? She's the first girl Nate has brought home in a long time. And she is the first one that he listens to. She's polite and protective. She and her friends. "

"Her friends?"

Yes, Michael, you're the one who stresses safety in numbers. A couple of her friends joined us. And they made sure I was safe, they all..." Madeline stops then changes her mind about what she is about to day "they were very protective of me. They were like daughters."

Michael thinks twice about that slip that his mom almost made. What isn't she saying?

"Think we can meet her." Fi steps in and asks before Michael can get another word in.

-

-

Michael, Fi, Sam and Veronica make their way through the crowded sidewalks to the local comedy club. "I don't think we're gonna get in. Veronica utters. "No knows how to even get their name on the list."

Michael doesn't believe they can get in either, there has to be some mistake with them meeting here. You have to know someone, who knows someone to even be considered to be put on the elite entry list. Otherwise you have to wait in the line like everyone else. Maybe they've been intentionally given the wrong place to meet.

"Leave it to me" Fi purrs as she makes her way to the man at the door "Hi there" She begins to flirt "We're supposed to meet our friends, Nate and Suzanne--"

"Oh yea, they're already here." The bouncer interrupts her. "George" he calls over to another bouncer, whispers in his ear and points. "Just follow him."

They follow their escort past the set tables on the floors and up to a private area, "Wow, this is exciting. I don't think my friends have ever gotten in this far." Veronica giggles as she latches on the Sam's arm as he takes in the view of the scantily scad women crowding the place.

They are lead to the private area. _Now you really have to owe someone to get this far._ The door opens and Michael comes to a dead stop when he spies the couple sitting at the table.

Nate was sitting there having a somewhat serious conversation with the woman that was driving the gray Lexus. She was leaning forward, inches into his personal space, and dressed somewhat conservatively in an emerald green ensemble, but it still looked sexy on her with a couple of the shirt buttons undone.

_Leading someone on -- even if you're just trying not to hurt their feelings -- is not the right way to handle things. You've been warned._

The woman tilts her head and looks solemnly at Nate, then says something and plants a fake pout on her subtly painted lips, her violet blue eyes were sparkling as the light reflected in them, her light brown hair had been pinned in the back in a chignon, Nate pulls the pin out her hair, pauses and kisses her.

Michael felt a strange pang of jealously stirring inside him when he saw the interaction between the two.

She looks familiar, but he can't place where, yet. So why did he get that feeling?

"Mikey, hey you made it." Nate finally notices them and waves them over "We've got a great table."

"Hello, nice to meet you." Suzanne introduces herself. She's polite, educated, entertaining and mysterious. So what does she see in Nate?

"So what is it you do?" Michael subtly asks after drinks are served.

"Don't worry honey, Mikey gives everybody the third degree." Nate throws him a sharp glance.

"That's ok." She smiles. "Its pretty boring actually. I'm a Project Manager for Harrison Industries. We do a lot of work with the high end hotels here."

"Sounds interesting." Veronica quips, she has no idea what that was, but wanted to keep on good terms with her new best friend. If she could get them into a private room here, what else could she get?

"It can be, but it's also a lot of work. One of the managers wasn't going to use her table tonite so offered it to me, so I," She pauses, exchanges a loving look with Nate and squeezes his hand. "We, thought it would be nice for our first get together." She snags an appetizer while avoiding Michael's eyes.

Nate beams. "Isn't she great. She's so modest, but she's a valuable employee."

Everyone had a good time that night. She charmed everyone at the table, but Michael was still trying to figure her out.

She took a sip of her drink and made a face, "uh, I've got the wrong drink."

Nate takes a sip "Yea, we don't want you giggling all night and telling tales do we?" A grin is plastered on his face.

"Nate it wasn't like that. That was an isolated incident." She gives him a severe look.

-

-

"Fi, there is something familiar about her." Michael whispers as the other four at the table are locked in a heated conversation.

"Admit Michael, you don't like any girl Nate is involved in."

"Make an excuse to go to the ladies room, strike up a conversation; see if she's got any scars or identifying marks."

"You never give up do you."

"Not a chance."

Fi got her opportunity about ten minutes later.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the ladies room."

As if by telepathy the other two women heeded the call of nature and left the table with her.

They were gone about 20 minutes when they finally came staggering back, giggling.

"Sorry we had to stop at the drink for a bar." Fi erupts in giggles as Veronica blushes.

Suzanne plants herself in Nate's lap and wraps her arms around his neck. "Hi honey. Did you miss me? I had to stop and socialize for a minute or two. We're not driving tonight are we?"

"No, I can give you two a lift." Michael offers. "I insist."

-

-

-

As they leave the club, Michael notices Suzanne pretends to stumble while hanging on to Nate. She's very convincing.

Michael watches from the rear view mirror at the two in the back seat. He watches as Nate kisses her neck, as she removes his hand from wandering down her body, finally reminding Nate to behave. Nate finally stops and begins to play with his cell phone, at one point Michael catches her eye; she raises an eyebrow then turns to look back out the window.

"Well what did you find out?" He asks after the pair is dropped off at her condo.

"She wasn't drunk or even drinking that much. She had to play nice to some markers and act like she was drinking. Those weren't normal businessmen either. She has a scar where she got implants, a birth mark on her left thigh, a scar on her left wrist,"

And a scar on her neck, unnoticeable unless you are looking for it. Michael tells himself.

"So you figured out who she is yet?"

"No."

"Well she's keeping Nate in line so that keeps him out of your hair."

"Yea it does."

Michael picks up his cell and makes a call "Sam I want you look someone up for me."


	2. Did You Hear The One About?

"Sorry bro. No record of the name you gave me." Sam gives Michael the bad news.

"There has to be. You looked the name and…"

"All the info you had. Even variations of the spelling. You've got her confused with someone else, maybe she really likes Nate."

"Yea, you're right. Case of mistaken identify I guess." Michael relents but isn't convinced.

"But" Sam continues. "There has been some shady dealings with Harrison Industries. Rumors of smuggling and some illegal activities. But they've managed to disprove all their accusations. The company is hiding something."

-

-

When Michael, Fi, Nate and Suzanne go out a couple of nights later, Suzanne excuses herself when she gets a message on her phone.

"But--" Nate starts to protest.

"Nate." Her tone is firm. "I told you I was going to be on call tonight, and you said you'd understand" she ran her hand along his collarbone 'member"

"Yea, yea. Ok. Don't be to long."

"Be right back." She leaves him with the memory of a lingering kiss on his lips.

After a few minutes, Michael makes an excuse to step away from the table.

_We see what we believe we are going to see, not what is there. You peel off the top layer of skin and you might find a stranger lurking underneath._

Suzanne is standing in the hallway finishing a phone call when Michael walks up.

"Wondered how long it would take you." She coyly smiles.

"Yea" as he moves closer to her, firstly so no one else could hear them talk, and secondly because he wanted to be close to her.

"Call me crazy, but I've got the impression that I've seen you before."

"Crazy" She meets his eyes as she replies in a sensual tone.

"Do I know you?" He stares at her.

"I don't think so." She responds with a softness in her eyes.

Suddenly she grabs the lapels of his jacket and pulls him toward her, her hands caressing his face, crushing his lips against hers. He offers no resistance and more than willingly responds to her inviting lips and tongue. His hands make the rounds of her chest and sides. He moves her hair and eyes her neck, there is the scar. That just confirmed his suspicions of who she was.

With one of her hands, she presses her fingers at the edge of his ear lobe, right at the jaw joint as his right hand wanders down her leg, lifting her skirt, and finding the garter on her thigh that holds the small knife.

Then just as quick, she pushes him away and her demeanor changes.

"Look I'm not one of Nate's fly by night girlfriends, we happen to be in a relationship. I don't have to answer your questions, so if you have anything else to--"

"Michael?" He hears Fi's voice behind him. "Everything ok?"

"Excuse me, I have to get back to the table" Suzanne nervously replies as she quickly brushes past Michael and Fi.

"Was I interrupting something?" Fi gives Michael a stern look as she walks Suzanne scurry away and wishes she walked up a couple of seconds earlier.

Michael wasn't listening to Fiona. He was wondering how Suzanne knew that Fi was walking up?

But then again Suzanne was always good with timing.


	3. Knock, Knock

_When your subconscious is in turmoil, dreams can seem so real, but they're not. Don't confuse the two worlds._

Michael doesn't sleep soundly, so that's why he was surprised when something woke him up and he found her sitting in the chair watching him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" She whispers.

"How did you- -" Michael starts to sit up.

"I borrowed Nate's key." She dangles a single key from a key chain. "I told him I had a job to take care of he knows not to call me." She pauses and looks toward the door. "What about your 'friend?'"

"I sent her home, she won't come back until tomorrow."

"Good"

"Here on business or pleasure?"

"A little of both." She seductively smiles.

This woman is T and A. Trouble and Attitude.

Her eyes are mesmerizing; he lays there watching as she disrobes and creeps toward the bed, slowly pulling the covers away from his body, then leans over him, kissing him with the same heat and passion that he felt earlier. As soon as his lips touch hers, he pulls her into bed.

She licks up his body down then stops at his nipples, the spasms run through his body as he arches his back, this excites her and she sucks them with even more force.

When she is pleased with her results she straddles him, his moaning combined with hers.

"You want me?" She leans over and hisses in his ear.

"Yes."

"You jealous?"

"Yes, jealous"

"How bad do you want me?"

"I need you, have to have you. Don't want to share you." he moans.

She licks his lips then lightly nibbles them, then plants kisses over his neck and face. "Good boy, yes, you are a good boy" He flips her over and caresses her body.

After an amazingly long time, their bodies molded to each other, Michael closes his mouth around hers, swallowing the final moan that seems to electrify the room and makes both of their bodies shiver, before he collapses beside her.

-

-

-

Michael wakes up several hours later and quickly looks around, nothing was out of place. But he had the most amazing dream. But at the same time he can't shake the feeling that it wasn't a dream.

Fi opens the door and eyes him suspiciously. "You look like you had a good night Michael."

"Just a good nights sleep I guess."

Fi doesn't say it out loud but she doesn't buy that story.

"So what are your plans today? Still obsessed with Nate's girlfriend?"


	4. Whose there?

"Mikey, uh, there something I need to talk to you about."

"Yeah Sam" Michael is hoping it's not another Veronica issue. If it is, he can refer him to Fi for that.

"Well..." He rubs the near warm bottle of beer between his hands.

This is unusual, Sam at a loss for words.

"Well, it's not really my place to say anything, but you know Veronica has been hanging out with Suzanne and- -"

"Sam isn't this something you can talk to Fi about?"

"No, you see Veronica has noticed some odd bruises on Suzanne. Suzanne has blamed them on being clumsy, she fell at work, or at her condo."

_No one could say that Suzanne was all work and no play. She loved a good party almost as much as she loved a good fight. But she wouldn't let herself play the victim, that just wasn't her style._

"But I saw some of them, discretely" Mike raises his eyebrows at that admission. Sam wouldn't meet Michael's eyes, since must have to use some sort covert taping to see the marks. "And they're not accidental. Mike, someones been hitting her."

Time stands still for Michael who doesn't hear the rest of the sentence. Instead he feels the heat of shame rise in him.

Sam looks down, partially afraid of his reaction, and continues to talk. "And if Veronica asks her about it she gets nervous and defensive."

_Signs pointing to domestic abuse. _

Michael's face turns stone cold hard and he just stares into space. He doesn't like what he's hearing, he doesn't want to fathom the idea of that happening to her.

"Look, we know she's been seeing Nate, and Veronica said that when he calls Suzanne gets nervous and makes excuses about where she is and all that."

Michael closed his eyes as memories of his childhood come flooding back.

"That doesn't mean - - " Maybe it was someone else who hit her, then why wouldn't Nate talk to him or ask for help. And if Nate was intimately involved with her, he would see the marks and ask questions.

"I know. That's not what I was implying, but I was wondering if you would talk to Nate and ask him if he- -"

"Yea Sam I will."

-

-

"Nate!" Michael raises his voice because he's not getting an answer.

Nate just turns away from him.

"Nate" Michael takes two steps, the first step takes him closer to Nate and with the second step he has Nate against the wall. "I want an answer! Did you hit her?"

"Is that what she's saying?" Nate argues, immediately on the defensive. "Is that what she told you?"

Michael can't get the image that Sam laid out out of his head. The Suzanne he knows, or knew, would have Nate lying on the ground singing soprano for a long time, if he even raised a hand to her without making contact. In Rome she put a man down on the ground after he pinched her bottom. Reflex reaction is what she called. What happened to her?

"Nate you of all people should- - "

"Should what? Know better? You don't know what - -"

"Boys" Madelines voice carries into the room before she is seen. "what is going on? I can hear you all the way across the street."

"Nothing mom. Mike just thinks he knows everything." Nate shoves his way out of Michael's grip, grabs his jacket and heads out the door.

Michael starts to head after him but not before hearing his mom's pleading voice "Michael, I need your help."

-

-

-

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing." Suzanne answers confidently as she slowly moves toward him, putting her arms around his neck, seducing him with her violet-blue eyes, trying to diffuse his temper with her touch. It's always worked before.

This is isn't going well, she can talk her way out of this, she's done it before and will do it again. Tomorrow is another day, she'll take care of the other one tomorrow.

"What? You told him nothing?" He grabs her by the shoulders and roughly shakes her. "Then why is he asking questions?"

"Nothing, I swear to you. I didn't tell him anything." Suzanne cringes and begs. "I don't know why, he's just suspicious." Then she turns back on the charm and croons "I'll take care of him. Tomorrow, I promise."

"Of course you will." He releases his grip on her shoulders and traces his fingers across her face and kisses her. "I believe you." She smiles, relaxes and starts to turn away when he surprises her with a backhand that carried enough to force her to the ground. "Because if I didn't this is going to hurt a lot worse."


	5. Cows go

Sam opens the door to let Michael knocks into the apartment.

"What's so important Sam?" Michael asks impatiently.

"Shhhh. Veronica didn't want me to call you, but you need to do something."

"About what?" Michael had a sinking feeling he knew, but he didn't want to believe it.

"Veronica said Nate called Suzanne yesterday. Veronica comes by today and finds Suzanne beaten and scared to death."

Mike's faces get stone cold and his eyes narrow. As much as he wants to know, he doesn't want to believe it. But his training has never failed him before, and he knows that what he thinks is going to be true.

"Checked her cell phone." Sam continues. "Nate called her a few times before she finally answered. Veronica told her not to talk to him."

Michael takes the phone and checks the memory. Nate called 8 times amidst some private numbers. The calls from Nate started after his altercation with Michael.

Veronica comes out of the bedroom ready to fight. "What's he doing here?"

"Sugar - - "

"Don't sugar me, his brother did this to her and he didn't try and stop him."

"I tried to talk to Nate, he didn't admit to hitting her - - " Michael begins to explain before getting cut off.

"Bet he didn't deny it either, did he?"

Michael couldn't answer that.

"Let me see her."

"No, she can't talk now, she needs to rest."

"Please."

"I begged her not to see him." Veronica cries. "If she if she had to meet him in a public place, with those security cameras, and not to be alone with him. Why didn't I insist on going with her? I failed her."

"No you didn't. Sugar, he needs to see it for himself." Sam holds her Vernoica and tries to convince her.

She sniffs into Sam's shoulder. "I gave her something to help her sleep. So be quick about it and don't ask her any questions."

Michael walks into the dark, quiet bedroom. He stares at the sleeping figure for a few minutes before making himself walk over to see her.

He turns on the lamp on the nightstand, covering her eyes so as not to let the sudden light disturb her.

She didn't make any movement away from the light, the sound of her slumber meant she was out like a light. She looks so peaceful, he can see her eyelids are still puffy and red from nonstop crying.

Her face has a red mark on the right side, he lifts the sheet covering her body and inhales sharply as he sees the proof he was ready to deny a few minutes before.

Bruises and cuts on her chest and side. They were placed just so they wouldn't be visible while wearing clothes.

Another sign of domestic abuse, the marks aren't obvious to the public, they are placed so they can be concealed. The attacker takes great care to keep the marks out of sight.

The victim will also try to hide the signs and making excuse.

Visible marks and bruises would bring to much attention and questions.

Another stark reminder of his childhood.

He slowly lowers the sheet to cover her body. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop him." His eyes sting as he kisses her forehead and storms out of the room. "I promise to make him pay for hurting you."

"Keep her here, dont' answer the door or talk to anyone until you hear from me." Michael barks orders to them a he heads out the front door, ignoring the questions and concerns of Sam and Veronica.


End file.
